Team from CCFD-Terre Solidaire witnessing traditional knowledge being put into practice by the Avontuur Community.
September marks both the start of Spring and the season for Seed and Food Fairs in southern Africa. This period is also considered the beginning of the new year by some indigenous communities like Venda. This is an exciting and inspiring time. One of the most successful traditional seed and food events on the calendar is the Good Food and Seed Festival in Harare, Zimbabwe. This year it takes place on 26 September 2022 and seems set to be the best attended festival since it started 10 years ago. Watch this video about the upcoming event and be inspired. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtJq-bR2_IQ
Earthlore will also be holding our annual seed and food fairs soon. Next week the Bikita communities in Zimbabwe begin their fairs from 5 to 9 September. A lot of preparation is underway that started months ago with planning, planting, tending and harvesting of crops, vegetables, wild foods, fruits, edible insects, etc. that will be showcased at these local events.
Meanwhile in South Africa, the EarthLore team is busy with the annual Elukwatini seed and food fair that will be held on 5 & 6 October, in Mpumalanga, near eManzana (eBhadini in siSwati, previously called Badplaas). Our theme is “Increasing traditional seed diversity, food sovereignty and healthy nutrition through indigenous knowledge”. The farmers are very excited and plan to make it a truly memorable celebration. Several weeks ago, a group of visiting farmer friends from France were treated to a preview of what is being planned for the October fair and they were most enthusiastic about the experience including the traditional siSwati dancing and singing. There will be a rich diversity of cultures including farmers from the Vhembe district of Limpopo province and isiZulu farmers from KZN. All the Seed and Food fairs will feature traditional meals and many farmers will be wearing traditional clothing.
Our Seed and Food Fairs this year are part of a Farmers’ Rights campaign, driven by our Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) partners, that links together seed fairs taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia through a virtual caravan, The caravan will increase awareness of the important role of small-scale farmers practicing agroecology and their contribution to an equitable, fair and healthy food system. The caravan culminates in a multi-stakeholder Farmers’ Rights seminar on 25th and 26th October in Lusaka, Zambia, coordinated by the Geography Department at the University of Cape Town and other SKI partners, including EarthLore.
During September we will share more stories of our exciting work.
